Murmered Memories
by SasaRea
Summary: You can learn a lot about a person thorugh what they say in their sleep. Zuko is having nightmares about his childhood, and Katara is about to learn a lot about the history of her enemy.
1. Turtleducks, Cartwheels, and Girls

Chapter 1:

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, but I do own a copy of New Moon that was printed upside down. (No joke. I opened it and I was, like, Omigosh, where are the words)

Katara's POV

It was late, and the moon shone over the ruins of the Western Air Temple, giving everything a silver glow. It filled me with its light, giving my bending strength and leaving me feeling enriched and powerful. Glowing. Alive. It wasn't full, but it strengthened my bending anyway. I wandered around the temple, bending the fountains and taking in the beauty of the moon lite temple. Everyone else had gone to bed, but I stay up later than everyone else, because I draw my power from the moon. Aang does, too, but he's a firebender as well, so he has to get up early to train.

_"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."_

That jerk makes me so mad. He thinks he can just walk back here and say he's sorry, and everything will be ok? Not only did he chase us around the world, attack our village, and tie me to a tree, but he stabbed me in the back. After I offered to _heal_ him. He just turned around and betrayed me. _Betrayed us all._ And maybe some of it _was_ my fault. For falling into his trap. But he just seemed so hurt, and confused. _Like me_. But he made his choice, and we paid the price. He can't be trusted. I yawn and decide to head back to the place where I left my sleeping bag. Actually, the place where all of us left our sleeping bags. We decided to all camp out in the same room, in case something happened and we all had to leave.

I climb into my sleeping bag and stare at the ceiling. Sleep doesn't come. I wait for it to come and swallow me, fill my thoughts with nothingness and peace. It's so quiet here. Then I hear a small moan. I sit up and look around. Was it Aang? Is he having nightmares about the Fire lord again?

But it wasn't Aang. It was Zuko. He tosses and turns in his sleep then mumbles something incoherent. Then he mutters, "Stupid turtleduck."

I have to cover my mouth to keep myself from laughing out loud. Zuko's dreaming about turtleducks. Then he says loudly, _"I am NOT cartwheeling." _I have to resist the urge to laugh again. Zuko has very entertaining dreams. Then he begins to talk again.

"I don't care. I don't want to play with you." He says, turning over. He's silent for a few moments, they he says, _"Girls are CRAZY!" _ I wonder what he's dreaming about. The things he says don't make sense, or fit together in any logical way. He doesn't speak anymore after that. With the Air Temple completely silent, I drift into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

~.~.~

I stir the pot of rice and begin serving everyone.

"Where's Jerkbender?" Sokka asks, shoving huge portions of meat into his mouth.

"Training with Zuko." Toph replies.

"I'm surprised he has the energy." I mutter.

"What?" Sokka asks.

"Oh, nothing." I mutter, smirking. Then Aang comes running into the room, using his airbending to make himself go even faster. He stops right in front of the rice pot, and asks, "What's for breakfast?"

"Rice and meat." I answer, handing him a bowl. Without the meat, of course.

"Oh. Great." He says unenthusiastically. Zuko hangs back, not sure if he should come forward. Then Toph yells in his general direction,

"Come get some food, Hothead!"

"Toph! What are you doing?" I hiss.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm telling him to get over here and eat." She says.

"Ugh." I groan and reluctantly hand him a dish. When he leans down to get his food, I can't help but turn and whisper in his ear, _"I am NOT cartwheeling."_

He looks at me in confusion, then realization hits him and his eyes widen.

"How did you….what did you…." He mumbles, tripping over his words.

"How did I what?" I ask, trying not to grin.

"Sweetness, what did you do to Hothead?" Toph demands.

"Nothing. She didn't do anything." Zuko says, scowling at me. I smirk and mumble under my breath, _"Stupid turtleduck."_ If looks could kill.

"Your heartbeat just sped up. A lot." Toph says matter-of-factly.

"I'm FINE!" Zuko yells, storming away.

"Ok, don't need to yell." Toph says moodily. Then she asks me,

"Katara, what _did_ you do to him?"

"Nothing. After all, " I say. Then I add loudly, _"Girls are CRAZY!"_

A/N What did you think? This is going to be a series of chapters, so if you want more, follow and review!


	2. No One Knows

Chapter 2:

Disclaimer: I don't own the last airbender.

A/N I know I haven't been updating the Crystal Catacombs, but I have so many other story ideas bouncing around… This is one of them. And I just want to point out to anyone who reads this story that it has NOTHING to do with the Crystal Catacombs, in case you read that, too. Ps this takes place after The Firebending Masters.

Katara's POV:

I sigh and turn over on my back, staring up at the moon. It's so calm at night. So peaceful. Like nothing could ever go wrong. Then I hear a loud snore to my right. Sokka. His snoring is so loud that I'm surprised it doesn't wake everyone up. But eventually, his snoring quiets down and I am able to drift off to sleep.

I wake up and hear someone talking. I sit up and look around. Is it morning already? No, the moon is still hanging high in the sky. I look around the room and see Zuko tossing and turning, and repeating things in his sleep. I sigh and turn over. I wonder why he talks so much in his sleep, and what he dreams about. Then he groans and moves to his side. Then he cries,

"Mom!" his voice is desperate and sad, and it makes me want to cry. Because I was in the exactly same place. Because it makes me think of the hardest time in my life. When we were trapped together in Ba Sing Se, he mentioned that his mother was gone, too. Part of me, my motherly side, wants to walk over and shake his shoulder and tell him that it was just a dream. But another, darker, part of me wants to let him relive the horror that the Fire Nation inflicted on me, as well. To show him all the hurt and pain that his nation caused. I sigh and wrap my arms around my legs, consumed in hate and anger, but pity, too. Eventually, my motherly instincts win out, and I go to wake him up. But he's stopped talking, and isn't moving around anymore. I sigh and go back to my sleeping bag, silently scolding myself. I can't let my motherly side get in the way. I let it control my feelings in Ba Sing Se and it nearly got Aang killed. I can't let it happen again. Then I turn over and go to sleep.

A/N I know, short. Bear with me.


	3. Azula always lies

Chp 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the last airbender.

_Azula always lies._

I sigh and turn over, trying not to think about the words he is mumbling over and over. He repeats them, never stopping. Because it is how he remembers what lies-or truths-she fed him. What kind of sick things did she do to him to cause him to mumble those words in his sleep? If she always lies, why did he take her side in Ba Sing Se? But I know from experience that she is ruthless and cruel- she came_ this_ close to killing Aang. But he still murmurs those words, and each time he says them, I try harder to keep my eyes closed and not to listen. But each time he says them, they cut deeper into my heart, encouraging me to do something. And yet, some cold, bitter part of me roots me to my sleeping bag, and I don't move. I open my eyes and turn over to look at him. He looks so much younger when he's asleep. Not as angry. Not like someone who would stab you in the back. Not like someone who would tie you to a tree. More like an actual human being with feelings, which he is not. The more forgiving side of me tells me this isn't true. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Right now, it's easy to understand why he acts the way he does, but when he's awake, it's a lot harder. When he bends and when he scowls, he looks so fierce. Unforgiving. But when we were in Ba Sing Se, he seemed so hurt. He was so different then. Was it all a lie, a trick, to fool me into feeling sorry for him? Something inside of me tells me that it wasn't. That maybe the way he usually acts is the mask, to hide the hurt and confusion. Then he says it again.

_Azula always lies_

And it's those words that make me slip out of my sleeping bag and walk over to where he is sleeping, far from the warmth of the fire. I kneel down and shake his shoulder, and his eyes snap open. He sits up and looks at me.

"What was that for?" he asks, glaring at me.

"You were talking in your sleep." I reply, unfazed by his glare. His good eye widens and he asks,

"What did I say?" His cheeks begin to turn red.

"I…couldn't tell." I lie.

"Oh." He mutters.

"Are you ok?"

"I thought you hated me." He says.

"I don't hate you….I just haven't forgiven you." I mumble, only half lying.

"Katara, I'm really sorry about what I did in Ba Sing Se. I was confused, and my sister offered me a way home, and I hadn't been home in three years, but…"

"She always lies." I finished.

"Yeah." He says slowly.

"I'm going back to bed." I reply, getting up.

"Wait!" He calls, getting up.

"What?" I ask.

"Today…it wasn't the first time I talked in my sleep, was it?" He says

"No, it wasn't." I sigh.

"You lied. You knew what I was saying." He realizes.

"Yeah, I did." I admit.

"Why? And what did I say?"

"You talked about a lot of things. Turtleducks, cartwheels…girls…your mom…and then there was something you repeated…" I list, realizing just how much I've learned about him from the things he says in his sleep.

"Azula always lies." He finishes, looking me in the eye.

"Yeah."

"Goodnight, Katara." He says.

"Goodnight."

I don't like him...but maybe I misjudged him.

A/N Only one chapter left… The Agni Kai.


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